Emergency response teams in Kisumu were stretched to the limit on Saturday as hundreds of mourners collapsed during the public viewing of the body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga at the Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Mamboleo.
The late opposition chief, revered across the country and especially in his lakeside backyard, drew thousands of mourners from across the Nyanza and Western regions.
By 6 am, long queues had formed outside the 30,000-capacity stadium as residents waited anxiously for the gates to open.
Some mourners had camped outside the venue overnight, determined to be among the first to pay their final respects.
Others travelled overnight in buses and private vehicles from neighbouring counties including Homa Bay, Siaya, Migori, Busia, and Kakamega.
When the gates were finally opened at around 9:48 a.m., the crowd surged forward in an emotionally charged atmosphere.
The combination of grief, intense heat, and overcrowding proved overwhelming for many.
Several mourners fainted, while others were overcome by exhaustion and dehydration.
Emergency response teams from the Kenya Red Cross and St. John Ambulance were forced to work around the clock, administering first aid and evacuating the weak and unconscious from the congested sections of the stadium.
Paramedics were seen moving through the crowd carrying stretchers and oxygen tanks as they attended to the affected mourners.
Although the emergency teams had not released official figures by press time, eyewitnesses estimated that more than 100 mourners had collapsed during the viewing.
Ambulances stationed at the venue made several trips ferrying those in critical condition to nearby hospitals in Kisumu town.
Security personnel, including police and military officers, joined volunteers in creating pathways for medical teams to access the victims quickly.
Water points were also set up around the stadium to assist dehydrated mourners.
Despite the challenges, the viewing exercise continued as planned, with thousands filing past the flag-draped casket of the late leader.
Songs of mourning, liberation, and prayer filled the air as emotional supporters waved flags and twigs in tribute to Raila’s decades of political struggle and leadership.
Officials urged the crowd to remain calm and patient, assuring the public that all necessary measures were in place to handle emergencies.
The public viewing in Kisumu formed part of the national mourning programme ahead of Raila Odinga’s burial in his Bondo home, Siaya county on Sunday.
